Hoisting and conveying apparatus



(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 1.

H. B. TEFPT. HOISTING AND GONVEYING APPARATUS.

N0. 532,837. Patented Jan. 22, 1895.

THE mmms NEIERS co. PnoToLn-na. WASHKNGTGN, n. c.

- (No Model.) w 4 Sheets-Sheet. 2

v H. B. TEFFT. HUISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

No. 532,837. Patented Jan. 22, 1895'.

1mm 5 g mV/ /MM ms nunms PErERs $0 morouwo, WASHINGTON, o n.

*(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Shefi 3. I .H. B. TEFFT. HOISTING "AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

Patented. Jan. 22, 1895.

m: "owns PETERS co, FHOTDLITHO. wnsumumu. D. c.

(No Model.) ms-sheet 4.

. H. B. TEFFT.

HOISTING AND GONVEYING APPARATUS.

Patented Jan. 22 1895.

m: rgcmms FETERS b0, no'roumu, vusummow, o. a.

HENRY B. TEFFT, OF

HTATES CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,837, dated January 22, 1895.

Application filed August 16, 1894- To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY B. TEFF'I, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and-State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting and Conveying Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference. marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. v

This invention relates to improvements in hoisting and conveying apparatus of that kind in'which the load or bucket is suspended beneath a traveling transfer carriage running upon an elevated way, by means of a rope which passes over a sheave on the carriage and serves both to hoist the load and to draw the carriage along after the load has been hoisted; and it relates more particularlyto that class of such apparatus in which a suspended rope or cable forms the elevated Way upon which the transfer carriage travels, although in several of its features my'invention is equally adapted for use in an apparatus in which the elevated way is a rigid structure provided with suitable tracks for the guidance of the carriage running thereon.

The object of my invention is to. provide an improved construction in various parts of hoisting and conveying apparatus of the character referred to, and it'consists in the matters herein set forth and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the transfer carriage'of a hoisting or conveying apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof with parts in-seotion. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the carriage. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are horizontal sections on lines 4-4, 55, and 6-6, respectively, of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a vertical section on lines 77 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of the lower part of the transfer carriage with one of its sides removed showing the manner of locking the tackle-block thereto. Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the deflection of the cable way produced by a carriage provided with two supporting wheels. Fig.10

is a similar view showing the deflection of the cableway caused by myimproved threewheel m No. 520,456. (No model.)

carriage. Fig. 11 is a side view of the head block by means of which the carriage is locked to the cable at one end ofits path. Fig. 12 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 13 is an end view of thehead-block. Fig. 14 is an enlarged detail of the headblock clamp. Fig. 15 is a detail of one of the transverse bars against which the headblock springs bear.

In said drawings A designates the suspended cable forming the elevated way upon which the traverse carriage B is adapted to travel. As herein shown the running gear of the carriage B comprises three grooved supporting wheels B B B adapted to run upon the cable A and journaled, between parallel side bars B of the carriage upon short axles b which serve to connect said side bars. The axles b pass through suitable apertures in the side bars B and are prevented from turning therein by being formed atone end with crank shafted heads b through which dowel pins 12 are passed into 'the adjacent side bar. Transverse cotters b on the other end of the axles normally prevent the withdrawal of the same.

The supporting wheelsB 13 -13 are-,so arranged that the lowest point of the periphery of the center wheel B or the point of its engagement with the cable A is lower than the used, as shown in Fig. 9, the cable between the wheels will be stretched so taut as to be practically straight and will extend ata considerable angle with the main portions of the cable on either side of the carriage; while with the three wheel structure, as shown in Fig. 10 in a slightly exaggerated form, the bending of the cable produced by the passage of the carriage will be very much diminished. Inasmuch as such bending of the cable is one of the chief causes of its wear and deterioration and soon results in its destruction, the latter construction is therefore of great value in adding to the life of the cable. As herein shown, the three supporting wheels are journaled between the bars B' in a common horizontal plane, the center wheel B being made somewhat larger in diameter than the end wheels B B so that its periphery extends below the peripheries of said end wheels, in the manner and for the purpose stated. Obvionsly, however, a similar result might, if desired, be obtained by using wheels of equal size in which the axis of the center wheel is arranged slightly below the plane of the axes of the two end wheels.

The main body of the carriage B is supported below the cable A by means of flat depending hanger bars B B and B which are apertured at their upper ends to receive the axles b, and are placed upon said axles between the hubs of the supporting wheels and the side bars B. At their lower ends the hanger bars are riveted to parallel plates 13 which form the sides of the main body of the carriage and serve to inclose the operative mechanism thereof between them. A rearwardly projecting hooked latching lever B is pivoted upon a pin 72 between the rear upper portions of the plates 13 and is adapted when brought in contact with a head-block O, which is secured to the cable A, to lock the carriage 13 against further movement upon the cable until the latching lever is released from engagement with the head-block. Below said latching lever, a grooved pulley or sheave B is journaled upon a transverse bearing pin b passing through the plates B and also in this instance through the lower ends of the rear depending bars 13 Said sheave B is adapted to receive the hoist or fall rope D which passes through the carriage B from the front thereof, between the side plates B and around said pulley B and which is attached at its end to a transverse pin 1) extending between the plates B at the lower front corner of the carriage. Between the sheave B and the pin b said fall rope D passes beneath the sheave eof a tackle block E to which the bucket or other burden to be hoisted is attached. Obviously with this construction when the carriage Bis locked to the headblock 0 by means of the latch B the first result of the winding in of the fall rope D is to hoist the tackle-block E together with any load which may have been attached to the same. The side bars E of said tack1e-block are extended above the sheave 6 thereof and are connected at their upper ends by a trans verse pin 6'. When the block is hoisted as described said bars E are adapted to pass upwardly between the plates B of the carriage B and thereby effect the engagement of the cross pin a with a locking device of a construction somewhat similar to that disclosed in my prior patent, No. 48 3,1553, dated September 27, 1892, by means of which the tackle block is, for the time being, locked to the carriage, and the latch B of the latter is released from the head-block 0. Such locking mechanism is in this instance constructed as fol lows:

B designates an inclined block rigidly bolted between the plates B with its under face inclined upwardly toward the center of the carriage and terminating in a vertical face 19 Said block 13 is adapted to guide the cross pin 6 of the tackle block against a locking bar B which is pivoted at its lower end 12 to the lower end of a bell crank lever B The latter is pivotally mounted between the plates B upon a pin 1) located at a point on the opposite side of the center of the carriage from the block B From the point of its pivotal engagement with the bell crank lever B the locking bar B extends upon an upward inclination approximately to the vertical face 6 of the block 15 and from thence is bent sharply back upon itself so as to incline upwardly away from said vertical face I)". The upper end 11 of the locking bar B is recessed to receive the rear end b of a rod B and is pivotally secured thereto by apivot pin Z7 The front end of the rod B passes loosely through an aperture in a block I) which is pivoted at its ends in the side plates B A coiled spring 1) is placed upon the rod between the block Z2 and a shoulder I) at the inner end of the rod and exerts constant pressure on the latter and consequently on the locking bar 13 and tends to hold the same against the stationary block B. The front end of the bell crank lever B is pivotally connected by links B with the front end of a substantially horizontal lever 13" which is pivoted between its ends upon a pin b extending between the plates B The rear end of the lever 13 extends beneath the rear end of the latching lever B and is pivotally connected therewith by links B between which the fall rope D passes before it reaches the sheave B \Vith this construction, when the tackle block is raised by the winding in of the fall rope, its transverse pin 6' will obviously be guided to the juncture of the block B and locking bar B and will force back said locking bar against the tension of the spring Z) so as to pass above the bar and permit the same to spring back into place. The fall rope is then slackened slightly to permit the tackle-block to descend until the pin 6' rests upon the upper side of the locking bar when the weight of the tackle block and its supported load will force the same down so as to oscillate the bell crank lever B raise the latch B and release the carriage from the head block 0. Obviously, therefore, the latch B cannot be raised until the tackle block has been locked to the carriage and consequently there is no possibility of the latter being released before the tackle block is locked thereto. As herein shown, the lower central portions of the plates B are out out adjacent to the block 13 and locking bar 13 and are provided with downwardly flaring IIO hooded'portions B which are riveted to the side plates B and serve to insure the correct entrance of the bars E and vcross pin e of the tackle block into the bottom of the carriage, and to direct said pin against the locking bar.

The engineer who is controlling the hoisting machinery will be apprised of theproper moment to slack away on the fallrope and release the carriage, by the sudden increase of the tension which will occur in said fall rope as the tackle-block reaches the upward limit of its movement and consequently comes to a sudden stop, it being customary in practice to make the par-ts of the apparatus strong enough to resist the strain of the hoisting machinery when the movement of the tackle-block is thus suddenly arrested.

The movement of the latch B is maintained within proper limits by a transverse pin 17 extending between the rear hanger bars B a short distance above the said latch, and the bell crank lever B. The movement of the latter will also be limited by said pin b". The" actual movement of the bell crank B is very slight so that the downward movement of the locking bar B due to the pressure of the pin 6' will also be very slight, and the pin e will thereafter be securely held upon the upper portion of the locking bar and between the same and the vertical surface b of'the block B until released by the withdrawal of the 1 locking bar B from said block. As a means of accomplishing such withdrawal of the locking bar at any desired point in the travel of the carriage I employ, in this instance, a separate releasing or button rope F of small diameter suspended a little at one side of and below the cable A. Said button ropeis adapted to be engaged by a jointed arm B rigidly mounted at the outer end of a stud b which projects laterallyfrom the side bars B and supports said arm in the same vertical plane with the button rope. The lower portion' b of the arm B is pivoted to its upper portion 11 so as to be free to swing rearwardly thereon while held against forward movement relatively thereto. The lower end of the arm B is forked to form a widespreading guide b the upper portion of which is narrowed to a mere slot b only wide enough to permit the button rope F to pass freely through it.

'An adjustable stop or buttonf is placed upon the button rope at that point in the travel of the transfer carriage at which it is desired to release the tackle block and bucket from its engagement with the carriage and to permit the same to be lowered to receive its load. hen the transfer carriage is drawn forward after having the tackle block locked within it in the manner described, the arm B strikes the button f and rides freely over the same, but on the return movement of the carriage, it is swung bodily about the axis of the stud 19 so as to oscillate the latter. At the inner end of the stud adjacent to the nearer side bar B is a rigidly attached radial arm B jextendin g forwardly from said stud. The

outer end of said arm B is pivotally connected by a link B with the forward end of a bell crankleverB which is pivotally mounted on the adjacent side plate B in this instance by being rigidly secured to the adjacent end of the pivot pin b of the lever B. The lower end of the bell crank lever B extends downwardly behind an integral hub or boss h formed on the upper end of the locking bar B and projecting laterally through a slot or aperture 11 in the side plate B so'that when similar but oppositely arranged mechanism a may, if desired, be provided on the other side of the carriage and adapted to engage with a second button rope so as totrip the latch and lower the bucket at the other end of its path. Such duplicate tripping devices will not be required when, as is ordinarily the case, the bucket which is attached to the tackle. block is dumped either by the reversal of the bucket or by the-release of a trap door in its bottom while the tackle block remains locked to the carriage; but in cases where it is found necessary to lower the bucket or load before du mping or depositing the same, some means for releasing the tackle block from the carriage when the dump is reached must obviously be provided, and in such case, the duplicate tripping mechanism referred to may conveniently be employed to permit the lowering of the load at the desired point. As herein shown the hub or boss Z2 is formed on both sides of the locking bar and projects out through a slot Z9 in each of the plates B -so that the tripping mechanism may readily be applied at any time.

For the purpose of constantly maintaining the button rope F in proper relation to the lever B, I have in this instance provided vertical guide pulleys B B mounted near the rear of the carriage and in the plane of the rope, upon a laterally projecting bracket 'formed by a bent bar B which is riveted at its upper end to the adjacent cross bar B -and at its lower end to the adjacent plate B Said pulleys B normally support the button rope F at the proper height to pass through the slot Z9 of the arm B .but do not interfere with the relative movement of the rope and carriage, the grooves in their peripheries being made large enough to permit the ,button fto pass freely between them. A horizontal brace bar B secured at one end of the bracket bar B at a point between the guide pulleys B and at its other end to the adja cent plate B near the middle thereof, serves to prevent the bracket from being distorted by any undue pressure or blow upon the same.

As herein shown the middle hanger bars 13 are extended upwardly above the middle supporting wheel B and have pivotally mounted between their upper ends a guide wheel 13 which co-operates with the middle supporting wheel B in forming a guide for a relatively small rope Gr, used for supporting the hoisting or fall rope I), in a familiar manner. The links or trolleys (not shown) which serve to support the fall rope from the supporting rope, and are commonly known as fall rope carriers, are successively picked up, as the carriage advances, by a forwardly projecting arm 13. Said arm is in this instance adjustably secured to the side bar by being pivoted at its rear end upon a pin Z2 engaging said side bar and by being secured at the front end of the side bar by means of a clamping bolt Z) passing through a vertical slot Z9 in said bar. The side plates B of the carriage are also shown provided with apertures 19 at points opposite the pivotal connections between the links ]3 and B with the levers B and B through which the pivots are insertcdwhen the parts are being assembled. The lower ends of the rear hanger bars 13 are shown formed with rearwardly projecting portions 1) connected at their ends by a transverse pin D to which is attached the tail rope H by means of which the carriage is returned to its starting point after the bucket has been dumped. The head-block O is in this instance adapted to be secured to the cable A by a yielding connection and is designed not only to resist the tendency of the carriage B to be drawn away from said head-block while the bucket is being hoisted, but to act as a yielding buffer by means of which the strain upon the cable due to the carriage striking against the head-block in its return movement will be so cushioned as to prevent the cable or carriage from being injured by the shock.' To this end said head-block is constructed as follows:

C C designate two pairs of cast iron blocks which are secured between the ends of thin side plates 0 and are provided in their adjacent upper faces with semi-circular recesses c which co-operate to form apertures through which the cable A is adapted to freely pass. Each of the blocks 0 is securely riveted to its adjacent plate 0 and the two sections of the head block thus formed are clamped together by transverse bolts 0' and 0 Laterally projecting angle irons or brackets c are secured to the upper portions of the blocks 0 on either side of the apertures through which the cable A passes, and serve to support parallel yoke rods which extend longitudinally of the carriage at either side of the eable A.

(3 designates a clamp located upon the cable A between the end blocks 0' of the headblock. Said clamp comprises a grooved block 0 which is placed beneath or above the cable A and a U-shaped bolt 0 which is placed over or beneath the cable A and has its ends passed up or down through suitable apertures in the grooved block. The ends of the bolt 0 are screw threaded and provided with nuts 0?, and also with coiled springs c which are inserted between the nuts 0 and the under surface of the grooved block. By screwing up the nuts 0 the springs a may obviously be compressed to any desired degree, and the cable A will thus be yieldingly clamped between the grooved block andthe loop of the U-shaped bolt with a greater or less pressure accordingly as the springs c are more or less tightly compressed.

C designates a transverse bar of wood or metal apertured to slide upon the yoke rods 0 and recessed at its center to pass freely over the cable A. Coiled springs c are placed upon the yoke rods between the ends of the bar 0 and the front brackets of the head block so that when the head-block is forced rearwardly said springs will be compressed and will serve to cushion its stoppage or bring it gradually to a state of rest. The transverse locking pin C which is adapted to be engaged by the latchinglever B is supported between the outer ends of forwardly projecting lateralarms C bolted to the sides of the head block. The connection between the said lateral arms and the block is in this instance made adjustable by pivoting the arms at the front of the block upon the clamping bolt 0 thereof, and by providing in the rear ends of the arms longitudinal slots 0 through which and through any one of an inclined row of holes 0 in the plates C a bolt 0 may be passed. Obviously, with this construction, by engaging thebolt c with one or the other of the holes 0 the arms 0 may be tilted or inclined so as to either raise or lower the looking pin C, as necessary for bringing it in position to engage with the latching bar 13 of the carriage.

The latching bar 13 of the carriage B is provided with an upwardly and rearwardly inclined lower face 12 terminating at its lower end in a hook 12 adapted to drop behind the locking pin O and prevent the forward movementof the carriage, said inclined face 12 first riding up on the pin 0 and lifting the latching bar so as to release the locking device and per mit the tackle-block and bucket to descend. Said bar is also provided with a downwardly and rearwardly projecting lug Z2 extending beneath the hook b and forming a shoulder at its base which is adapted to abut against the locking pin 0 and receive the shock of the collision between the carriage and the head block. Said lug 11 also serves to engage the under side of the pin and positively force the latching .bar downward in position to hook over the pin. With this construction it will be obvious that in its return movement the latch 13 will strike the pin 0 and force the latter backward to a greater or less extent to rest.

against the tension of the springs a thelatter obviously operating to form a cushion between the head block and clamp 0 by means of which the stock of the collision is cushioned and the carriage is gradually brought Furthermore the yielding engagement between the clamp O and the cable A is designed to be sufficiently loose to permit the clamp to slide slightly on the cable under excessive shocks, and also to permit the head block to be drawn rearwardly by means of a rope I attached to a clevis C- pivoted to the bolt 0 at the rear of the head-block, Without unloosening the clamp 0 when it is desired to increase the length of the path of the transfer carriage. The head block may thus be drawn back on the cable to provide for the increased travel of the carriage made necessary by the progress of the excavation, without its being necessary for an attendant to climb up to the head block for the purpose, an operation often difficult and dangerous.

By the arrangement of the parts described in which the fall rope is secured to the front of the carriage, passed through the tackle block, around a sheave at the rear of the carriage and thence out at the front, of the same, the direction of rotation of the tackle block sheave when the latter is hoisted is reversed from the direction resulting in the usual con struction when the fall rope is secured to the rear portion of the carriage and passed over a'sheave at the front thereof, 2'. e., the rope draws upward out of the tackle block sheave on the rear side thereof instead of drawing downward into the sheave on that side. This is of great advantage in dredging or excavating against a bank which faces forwardly or in the direction toward which the excavated material is discharged, since in such case the rear side ofthe tackle block is liable to rub or scrape along the bank so that whenthe rope runs downwardlyinto theblockson that side, stones and other dbris are frequently drawn into it to its serious damage; while when the rope draws upwardlyv out. of the block on that side, the direction of movement of the rope and of the tackle block sheave ordinarily prevents the entrance of dbris and serves to eject anywhich may happen, to enter, thus adding greatly to the life of the fall rope andtackle block.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination withasuspended cable,

of a transfer carriage provided with three supporting wheels mounted to run upon said cable, the lowermost point of the middle supporting wheel being below the lowermost points of the front and rear supporting wheels, substantially as described.

. 2. The combination withasuspended cable, of a transfer carriage provided with three supporting wheels mounted to run upon the cable, the axes of which are arranged in a common plane, the middle supportingwheel being of larger diameter than the end supporting wheels, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination with a transfer carriage, of a latching lever, a sheave, mounted in the carriage, a fall rope passing over said sheave and supporting a tackle-block, and a locking device for said tackle block comprising a pivoted locking bar, a bell crank lever to which said locking bar is pivoted, a spring applied to said locking bar to actuate the same, and a horizontally arranged connecting bar pivoted between its ends and connected at one end with the said bell crank lever and. at its opposite end with the latching lever, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a transfer carriage, of a pivoted latchinglever on said carriage projecting from the rear end thereof, a sheave, a fall rope secured to the carriage and passing over saidsheave, a tackle block, a locking bar, a bell crank lever to which saidlocking bar is pivoted, a spring applied to said locking bar to actuate the same, and a pivoted bar for transmitting motion from the'bell crank lever to the latchinglever connected by links with an inwardly. projecting arm of the latching lever and with said bell crank lever, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a transfer carriage, of a pivoted latching lever, a sheave, a fall rope passing over said sheave and secured to the carriage, a tackle block provided with across pin, an inclined block on the carriage, a pivoted locking bar opposed to said inclined block and adapted to engage the cross pin of the tackle block, a bell crank lever to which the locking bar is connected, a rod pivoted to the upper end of the said locking bar, and a spring applied to give endwise movement to said rod for actuating the lock ing bar, said bell crank lever beingconnected with and adapted to give movement to the said latching lever, substantially as described. 6. The combination with a transfer carriage comprising supporting wheels and side plates, of a latching lever, a sheave mounted between said plates, a fall rope passing over thesaid sheave, a tackle block providedwith a cross pin, an inclined block secured between said side plates, a locking bar located between the side plates and opposed to the inclined block, a bell crank lever to which the locking bar is pivoted, a rod pivoted to the upperend of the locking bar, a spring for actuatingthe locking bar, a jointed arm pivoted to the side of the carriage and provided with a rigid arm adjacent to the pivotal axis thereof, a bell crank lever, a rod connecting the said rigid arm with the bell crank lever, and a lateral boss of the upper end of'the locking bar projecting through a slot in the side plate and adapted for engagement with the said bell crank lever, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a transfer carriage, of a pivoted latching lever, a sheave, a fall rope passing over said sheave, a tackle block provided with a cross pin, a locking device on the carriage comprising an inclined block, a pivoted locking bar opposed to said inclined block, and a spring for actuating said locking bar, a bell crank lever to which the locking bar is pivoted at its lower end and which is connected with the said latching lever, a jointed arm pivoted to the carriage and connected with the upper end of the locking bar, and means embracing a stationary stop for actuating the said jointed arm, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a transfer carriage, of a latching lever, a sheave, a fall rope passing over said sheave, a tackle block provided with a cross pin, a locking device comprising an inclined block, a locking bar opposed to said inclined block, and a spring for actuating said locking bar, a bell crank lever to which the locking bar is pivoted and which is connected with said latching lever, a jointed arm pivoted to the carriage,a bell crank lever which is connected with and moved by said jointed arm and is adapted to act upon the upper end of the locking bar, and means embracing a stationary stop adapted to engage and actuate the jointed arm in the movement of the carriage, substantially as described.

9. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination with an elevated way, of a transfer carriage mounted to run upon said way, means for detachably holding the carriage from movement upon the way, a sheave, a fall rope passing around said sheave, a tackle block, locking devices on the carriage adapted to engage and hold the tackle block when the latter is hoisted, a button rope, an arm on the carriage adapted to engage a stop or button on said button rope, and connections between said arm and the locking device whereby the tackleblock may be released by the movement of the arm, substantially as described.

10. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination with an elevated way, of a transfer carriage mounted to run upon said way, means for detachably securing the carriage against movement along the way, a sheave, a fall rope passing around said sheave, a tackle block, a cross pin on the tackle block frame above its sheave, an inclined block at the lower part of the carriage, a locking bar pivoted at its lower end, a spring for forcing the locking bar toward the block, a button rope, a stop or button on said button rope, a jointed arm pivoted to the frame and adapted to be swung bodily when passing over the button in one direction, and connections between said arm and the locking bar for withdrawing the latter from the block when the arm is bodily moved by the button, substantially as described.

11. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination with an elevated way, of a transfer carriage mounted to travel on said way, means for detachably securing the carriage against movement on the way, a sheave, a fall rope, a tackle block, a lockin g device on the carriage adapted to detachably secure the tackle block to the carriage when the block is hoisted, a button rope, guide pulleys between which said button rope passes, a jointed arm pivoted to the carriage and provided at its lower end with a fork embracing said button rope, a stop on the button rope, and connections between said arm and the locking device for releasing the tackle block, substantially as described.

12. The combination with a transfer carriage, of a pivoted latching lever, a sheave, a fall rope passing over said sheave, a tackle block, an upwardly projecting frame on the tackle block provided with a cross pin, a look ing device on the carriage adapted to engage said pin said locking device comprising a downwardly flaring hooded portion, an inclined block within said hooded portion, a pivoted locking bar opposed to said inclined block, a bell crank lever to which the lockin g bar is pivoted at its lower end, a spring applied to actuate said locking bar, substantially as described.

13. The combination with a transfer carriage comprising supporting wheels and parallel side plates, of a latching lever projecting from the rear of the carriage, a sheave mounted between said plates, a fall rope passing over said sheave and secured to the carriage, a tackle block mounted in the bight of the fall rope and provided with a cross pin, an inclined block secured between the side plates, a locking bar opposed to the inclined block, a bell crank lever to which the locking bar is pivoted, a rod pivoted to the upper end of said locking bar, a spring mounted on said rod for actuating the locking bar, a lever pivoted between the plates, links connecting the ends of said lever with the ends of the latch ing leverand the bell crank lever, a jointed arm pivoted to the carriage, an arm rigidly connected with said jointed arm at the pivoted axis thereof, a lateral boss on the upper endof the locking bar projecting through a slot in the side plate adjacent to the said arm, a bell crank lever engaging said lug at one end and having its opposite end pivotally attached to the end of the said arm, and means embracing a stationary stop for actuating the jointed arm, substantially as described.

14. The combination with a suspended cable, of a transfer carriagemounted-to run on said cable, and a head block to which said carriage is adapted to be detachably secured, said head block being yieldingly secured to the cable so that the collision of the carriage therewith is cushioned and the strainon the cable and carriage relieved, substantially as de scribed.

15. The combination, with a suspended cable, of a transfer carriage mounted to travel on said cable, a fall rope for drawing the carriage in one direction, a tail rope for drawing the carriage in the other direction, a head block on the cable toward which the carriage is drawn by the tail rope and to which said carriage is adapted to be detachably secured, a clamp embracing the cable, and springs in- IIC terposed between the head-block and clamp, substantially as described.

16. The combination with a suspended cable, of a transfer carriage mounted to run on said cable, a clamp yieldingly embracing said cable, a head block mounted loosely on the cable and provided with longitudinal bars, springs upon said bars affording a yielding cushion between the clamp and head block, and a rope attached to the head block for drawing the head block and clamp bodily along the cable, substantially as described.

17. The combination with a suspended cable, of a transfer carriage mounted to run on said cable, a hooked latching lever on the carriage, and a head block secured to said cable provided with a transverse pin adapted to be engaged by said lever, and arms for supporting the pin, which arms are pivoted at the front of the carriage and provided at their rear ends with slots through which and through any one of a series of holes in the head block a bolt is inserted to hold the arms in a desired position, substantially as described.

18. The combination with a suspended cable, of a traveling transfer carriage mounted to run on said cable, a head block yieldingly connected to said cable, a transverse pin on said head block, and a pivoted latching lever of the transfer. carriage formed with a rearwardly inclined face terminating at its lower end in a hook adapted to pass behind said transverse pin and provided with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined lug attached at a point in the front of the said hook and forming a shoulder adapted to engage the front of the pin and receive the shock of the collision between the carriage and head block, substantially as described.

19. The combination with a cable way, of a head block yieldingly secured to the cable by means of a clamp comprising a grooved block, a U-shaped bolt having its ends passed through apertures in said block, and springs on the ends of the bolts engaging the under surface of the block, substantially as described. 1

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix, my signature in presence of two witnesses.

V HENRY B. TEFFT. Witnesses:

O. CLARENCE POOLE, TAYLOR E. BROWN. 

